We were lucky to catch up with Lucas Kastner recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Lucas, so happy you were able to devote some time to sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our community. So, we’ve always admired how you have seemingly never let naysayers or haters keep you down. Can you talk to us about how to persist despite the negative energy that so often is thrown at folks trying to do something special with their lives?
This is a challenge faced by most individuals who are living a life that is not inline with what mainstream society considers, “A regular path chosen by most people.” Although unfortunate, I didn’t realize until about ten years ago that the most supportive people, regarding my goals and dreams, would be friends, colleagues, and complete strangers I have met for the first time. The biggest naysayers tend to be the very individuals closest to us in our lives; parents, various family members, marriage partners, dating partners, and sometimes best friends. When adding this to the challenge of branding a company and/or yourself, achieving desired goals and dreams can initially seem insurmountable. I believe that an inherent trait in all entrepreneurs, is a vision in their head of a life they want to create which they feel, will in some way, benefit society. Based on my own life experience my vision for the life I wanted to create started when I was two years of age.
I also believe that, in addition to inherent determination within, a person’s desire to create the extraordinary lies with a desire to live a purpose-driven, passionate life. Anything else, or anything less…is not living. Back to the initial question posed.
The ways in which I remain focused, and persist in the face of haters and naysayers, are as follows.
* Create a plan (not only a business plan), but a sustainable daily life-plan and routine.
* Establish your tribe of people. The people that support you, your goals and dreams, and vision for life.
* Remove anything from your life not conducive to the life you are creating.
* Take steps every day that ensure movement towards your ultimate goals and continued growth.
* Make time for your spiritual growth and set aside that time each day for practice and reflection.
* Most importantly; begin your creative journey with the end in mind. What do you ultimately want your endeavor to become?
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
The next project, for my company Envaio Media, will be a family/faith-based film. That’s all I’m willing to divulge in this article. But, I will say that it is a relatable and heartwarming film based on a script I wrote myself. I think this is the type of project that will help unify an otherwise fractured and divided world. A cinematic piece that will provide hope in the face of adversity and demonstrate that there is always a path forward even in the most difficult of times.
In my personal life my company and/or myself are actively involved in various charitable causes. Philanthropy and charity have always been near and dear to my heart. Most of the charitable work I do is related to children. One of the charities I work with substantially changes the lives of children by providing them with an opportunity to overcome dyslexia. This organization also helps children who have experienced head trauma related injuries with an opportunity to learn to read, write, and speak again as part of their recovery. At the same time, this charitable organization also provides college scholarships to individuals who want to study and attain a Speech-Language Pathology degree.
My professional journey began in my late teens/early twenties. I was driven and knew what I wanted to achieve and create for myself and for the world. As with most people, I needed to earn an income in order to remain financially viable while creating the life I really desired in the entertainment industry. In my early twenties, I landed my first job in the telecommunications/technology sector. All the while, I was taking acting classes, getting headshots, auditioning, modeling, and working on everything from commercial work to indie film. Eleven years ago I decided to ramp-up my efforts to create this new life and began working, even more diligently, by resuming my acting classes/training and by increasing my auditioning schedule. The time and focus paid off and I began booking indie film after indie film.
A curious thing began taking place. Hollywood was changing. The ways in which actors could work or showcase their work was transforming. Now, we could create our own content in the form of podcasts, video podcasts, streaming series, commercials, and film (short film or full length). I figured, why wait for someone to give me permission to take on a role in their film? I’m going to write my own content, act in it, direct it, and bring other actors and creatives along for the ride. It was the best decision I have ever made. For me the next step seemed obvious…start a media company. That is exactly what I did. I wanted to find a way to incorporate all the skillsets I had acquired over the course of my lifetime and implement them into two initial divisions of my company. The first division would be entertainment related. The second division would be communication technology related. I felt this was genius. Although, it may seem like there would be no convergence between the two divisions, in terms of products and solutions, there have been situations when my company was hired to provide communication solutions technology and then created an internal training video for that same company. You never know how opportunities will present themselves.
The entertainment division is capable of creating commercials, instructional corporate training videos, streaming content, film (short film or full length), documentaries, social media content, et cetera. Envaio Media can also create, launch, and manage certain types of advertising campaigns. The communication technology division provides everything inclusive of network connectivity related infrastructure, cybersecurity, and the communication tools (software) necessary to keep your company connected internally and with your customers (additional details can be found on the communications services page of our website).
I incorporated my company August of 2022. Although a new company, I’m excited regarding where this journey will lead. The core items I feel differentiate Envaio Media would be our dedication to a fantastic customer experience, creating an inclusive space in which everyone can create and tell their stories with integrity and without reservation, and a company in which authentic collaboration drives success.
We look forward to working with you.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
In my journey, the most impactful qualities and skills that enabled me to not only keep going in life, but gave me the strength to thrive are as follows.
Resilience – One of the most important character traits we can possess. It’s an understatement to say that life will confront you with much adversity. From personal to professional, from betrayal to financial challenges, from financial ruin to unbridled financial abundance and love. It is important you have the fortitude within to keep moving forward. Often times, it will only be you making the critical decisions necessary to take the next step(s) required to get you and your company to that next milestone.
Belief – In your journey, there will be many people and situations that will inadvertently and/or purposefully try and derail you, your goals, and dreams. Know that the idea(s) you have had in your mind since childhood were put there, by the universe, for a reason. It wasn’t by chance, it wasn’t by accident, and it absolutely wasn’t by mistake. Build your vision, build your plan, and in so doing you will bring into your life the people, places, and things required to create all you desire.
Personal Affirmation – The most profound ideology I have discovered, in recent years, is the idea that perfection is unimportant. Of course, I want to provide quality work and results. However, quality work doesn’t always result in perfection. The best work I have ever done was well executed, memorable, and relatable for those involved. Remember, no one is perfect. Sometimes, depending on the type of work being performed, the things that truly speak to people are the intentions with which you embark on a project. Do your very best. Be your very best. As I have moved forward in life, I have come to realize that, “I am perfectly imperfect.”. I have embraced that concept and have found success. You can find that same equilibrium in your life as well.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Collaboration is the cornerstone of success. I am absolutely looking for talented individuals with whom I can partner on future entertainment related projects. This journey is a team effort. Which is why we are actively looking for creative individuals to partner with on various upcoming film and television projects. If you are a cinematographer, director, producer, post-production editor, music composer, visual effects professional, graphic designer, makeup artist, et cetera. Please connect with us on our social media channels. My company (Envaio Media) and I have established profiles on most social media outlets such as Instagram, Threads, Facebook, X, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.envaio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucas.kastner/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lucas.Nathaniel.Kastner
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/lucaskastner
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lucas_kastner
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@EnvaioMedia
- Other: IMDb: https://www.imdb.me/lucas.kastner
Image Credits
Photographer: Nicholas J. Reid
